Pulse Canada still waiting on word from India

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The Canadian pulse industry is still waiting to hear from India’s government on how it will handle Canadian pulses shipped after September 30, 2017.

The latest in a series of exemptions related to India’s fumigation requirement expired at the end of September.

“We’re sitting here on the 4th of October and we haven’t heard from India what the policy will be for bills of lading that are dated October 1st or later,” noted Pulse Canada CEO Gordon Bacon on RealAg Radio on Wednesday. “We’re very hopeful we will hear today or tomorrow from India as to what the new policy will be.”

Bacon is optimistic that India will continue to import pulses from Canada, the largest pulse exporter in the world.

“I think we just have to be patient for a couple more days. We do expect to hear back from India as to what clarity will be, in terms of whether it’s from now to til the end of December, or as we’ve been asking for, some long-term clarity on what the import policy for Canadian pulses destined for India will be,” he said.

According to Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Indian government issued a six-month extension in June relaxing fumigation requirements until the end of the year. However, Canada only received a three-month exemption from additional inspection fees, which would apply to shipments leaving Canada as of October 1.

If a new exemption isn’t granted, Bacon says it’s unclear how pulses shipped after October 1 will be treated.

“We don’t know, and it’s hard to speculate, because India has policies in place for France and the U.S. that are different from some other countries, so India has a range of options,” he says.

Related: Uncertainty in Canadian pulse industry, as latest fumigation exemption nears end

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